Panther in the Golden Palms

About this work

The cat is drawn as one long horizontal sweep, and that line organises the whole picture. It begins at the head on the left, where the amber eyes are the brightest point in all that darkness, runs along the back to the right and then drops through the single front paw stepping down near the bottom edge. The gold palm fronds fan out like cut metal, their ribs and leaflets catching the light, while dark green leaves fill the gaps between them and push the space further back. Behind everything, thin vertical gold lines rise in a steady rhythm, a typically Deco way of putting a jungle in order. Close up you can follow the edge of each frond and the way the gold lines pass behind the leaves; from across a room the panther reads as a pure dark silhouette ringed with gold.

Big cats were among the favourite subjects of Art Deco. Panthers, leopards and jaguars prowled across posters, lacquer panels, bronze sculpture and jewellery of the 1920s and 1930s, their long, muscular outlines suiting the period's taste for sleek, streamlined forms. The animal itself is worth knowing, too. A black panther is not a separate species. The name is usually given to a leopard or a jaguar with a dark, melanistic coat, and in the right light the rosettes of its spotted relatives can still be seen faintly through the black. Leopards with this colouring are best known from the dense forests of South-East Asia, where a dark coat is thought to help an animal stay hidden in deep shade.

Pair it with The Deco Peacock for a duo of jewel-dark creatures on black, or hang it beside The Golden Mane, where another dark coat meets pale gold. Walls in bottle green, charcoal, aubergine or deep teal suit it best, while a warm white wall makes the black ground look even more graphic. A slim black lacquer or brushed gold frame keeps the Deco mood, and a narrow black mat works better here than a wide white one. Warm, low lamplight brings out the gold fronds in the evening. Printed from the 7168 × 10752 px file, it stays sharp to about 60 × 90 cm, enough to hold its own above a sofa or a bed. A Frame TV version with a gallery mat is included.